Fragmentation warhead



July 9, 1957 H. w. SEMON ETAL 2,798,431

FRAGMENTATION WARHEAD Filed Jan. 25, 1951 2 Sheets-Sheet l INVENTORSI H. W. SEMON L. E. HIGHTOWER B 1% lflwflm RAM. ArTYs July 9, 1957 H. w. SEMON- ET AL 2,798,431

FRAGMENTATION WARHEAD 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Jan. 25, 1951 FIG.1.2.

INVENTORS H. W SEMON L. E. HIGHTOWER BY RAMAFFW ATTYS.

FRAGMENTATION WARHEAD Howard W. Semon, Washington, D. C.,. and Lloyd E. Hightower, Silver Spring, Md.

Application January 25, 1951', Serial No. 207,822

1 Claim. (Cl. 102-67) (Granted under Title 35, U. S. Code (1952), sec. 266) This invention relates to frangible. warheads forprojectiles and more particularly to the construction ofra warhead of tubular configuration having intersecting uniform lines of weakness throughout the length of. the warhead whereby fragmentation thereof will occur along the lines of weakness to produce destructive fragments of substantially uniform size with a low percentage of the warhead breaking into ineffective chaff upon detonation. of the explosive charge therein. More specifically, the present invention contemplates a warhead construction. wherein a series of metal rings of uniform size are brazed or welded together to form a hollow tube for enclosing the. explosive charge. Each ring has a pattern of symmetrical and. uniformly shaped portions of the periphery of the rings re.- moved whereby the rings are ruptured into uniform destructive fragments as the explosive charge is detonated.

In devices heretofore proposed for causing a warhead to break up into uniform fragments as the warhead is exploded, it has been the usual practice to achieve this result by casting the warhead in a single casting in a pattern to produce uniformly spaced intersecting grooves in the warhead, by wrapping a metal liner with notched wire about the warhead, or by. drilling uniformly spaced radial holes or cutting intersecting grooves into the warhead.

Such devices have not been entirely satisfactory under all conditions of service for the reason that the warhead is weakened sufficiently to cause rupture of the warhead before the full force of the explosion is obtained, the fragments are not of uniformsize or a substantial portion of the warhead pulverizes into useless chaff as the warhead explodes.

In accordance with the present invention, uniform fragmentation of the warhead is obtained by forming uniform lines of weakness in the rim of a plurality of metal rings which are brazed or soldered together in mutual abutting relation and in axial alignment to form the warhead. It has been found, as the result of extensive tests, that upon detonation of the explosive charge within a warhead formed in this manner the warhead is caused to fracture along the lines of weakness and break up into substantially uniform destructive fragments and thus the maximum destructive effect of the missile is obtained.

One of the objects of the invention is the provision of a warhead having an aerodynamic smooth outer surface and possessing lines of weakness formed therein such that the casing of the warhead will break up into fragments of uniform size and shape with a modicum of the warhead pulverizing into ineffective chafi as the warhead explodes.

Another object is to provide a warhead formed of a series of rings brazed or soldered together to form the warhead structure with lines of weakness cut in the rings in a uniform pattern parallel to the longitudinal axis of the warhead to form a uniform geometrical pattern in the warhead such that the fragments resulting from the explosion of the warhead will be cubical in shape and of substantially uniform size.

Another object is to provide a frangible warhead in which fragmentation is prevented until substantially the States Fatent Q i F atented July 9, 1957 full force. of the explosion is applied thereto whereby the full force of the explosion is effective in accelerating the fragments.

Another object isv to: produce a frangible warhead havingpreselected lines of weakness incorporated therein for controlling fragmentationand possessing sufficient strength to withstand the force of the high acceleration of the projectile as the projectile is fired.

Other objects andmany of the attendant advantages of the invention will be readily appreciated as the same becomes better understood by reference to the following detailed description whenv considered in connection with the accompanying drawings wherein:

Fig. 1- illustrates a. warhead in accordance with a. preferred embodiment of the present invention;

Fig. 2. is a side view of a segment of one of the rings which forms a portion of the warhead casing and constructedaccording to one form of the invention;

Fig. 3- is a view taken along line 33 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 4 is an enlarged sectional view partially broken away ofa portion of the warhead of Fig. 1 according to the preferred embodiment thereof;

Fig. 5 is a view taken along line 55 of Fig. 4;

Fig. 6 is an edge view of one of the rings which form the warhead. and illustrating an alternate form of the invention;

Fig. 7 is a side view of a warhead constructed of rings illustrated in Fig. 6;

Figs. 8, 10 and 12 are edge views of various rings which may be advantageously employed to form the warhead and illustratingother alternate forms of the invention, respectively; and

Figs. 9, l1 and 13 are views taken along lines 99, 11--1I, and 13-13 of Figs. 8, l0 and 12 respectively.

Referring now to the. drawings for a more complete understanding of the invention on which like numerals of reference are. employed to designate like parts throughout the several views, there is shown on Fig. 1 thereof a projectile generallydesignated 10 and having a base 11, a tubular warhead joined thereto formed of a series of frangible rings 12, the interior of which contains the bursting charge (not shown) by which the rupture of the warhead is produced and the forward nose portion 13 which is joined to the forward ring of the warhead.

Projectiles having the warhead portion of their bodies constructed of rings as hereinafter described, may be loaded with the explosive charge in the usual manner through a suitable opening in the nose portion or the base, as the case may be, and the charge may be fired either by a time fuze, influence fuze or percussion fuze applied in any well known manner, its specific manner of firing the charge forming no part of the present invention. When the explosion of the charge takes place, the outward pressure upon the rings causes them to break along substantially uniformly spaced lines of weakness to produce destructive fragments of uniform size and shape with a minimum of ineffective chaff.

The rings 12, Figs. 1, 4 and 5, are arranged in mutual axial alignment and secured together with the base and nose portion of the projectile respectively by brazing, soldering or welding the parts along lines as at 1. The rings which comprise the warhead may be formed as shown in Figs. 2, 4, 6, 8, 10 or 12 with equally spaced lines of weakness provided in the rim of the rings by notching or drilling away a portion of the rims substantially as illustrated.

In Figs. 2 and 3 the frangible rings are weakened in a uniform pattern by drilling uniformly spaced parallel holes 15 through the rim of the ring whereby the ring will rupture along lines radiating from the axis of the rings and through the ring material adjacent the holes 15.

In Figs. 4 and 5 each ring is provided with a plurality of equally spaced radial slots 16 formed in the inside surface of the ring whereby the ring will rupture at the base of the slots as the explosive charge is detonated. When joining the rings together the slots of one ring are placed midway between the slots of the adjacent ring to improve the destructive effect of the fragments.

When greater strength is desired in the direction of the longitudinal axis of the projectile as where the projectile is to be fired from a gun by an explosive charge, the rings may be made in the form of an interfitting zigzag or herringbone pattern as clearly shown in Figs. 6 and 7, which rings are likewise brazed, soldered or welded together at the abutting edges as at 17 and to the end rings 21 and 22.

In Figs. 8 and 9 the metallic rings may be formed by drilling or otherwise forming a plurality of equally spaced radial holes 18 through the rim of the rings to form uniformly spaced lines of weakness in the projectile casing. i

In Figs. 10 and 11, the rings are weakened at uniformly spaced lines by forming equally spaced V grooves 19 parallel to the longitudinal axis of the ring and having interposed raised portion 20 formed on the outer surface of the rim or the V grooves may be cut into the inner surface of the rings as at 21 as shown in Figs. 12 and 13, with the grooves arranged parallel to the axis of the warhead.

It will be understood that if desired, the weak points of one ring may be arranged midway between the weak points of the adjacent ring.

Obviously many modifications and variations of the present invention are possible in the light of the above teachings. It is therefore to be understood that with in the scope of the appended claim the invention may be practiced otherwise than as specifically described.

The invention described herein may be manufactured and used by or for the Government of the United States of America for governmental purposes without the payment of any royalties thereon or therefor.

We claim:

A fragmentation warhead having an explosive charge therein and of the type adapted to be ruptured into a plurality of destructive fragments as said charge is exploded, comprising, in combination, a base portion, a nose portion, and means interconnecting said base and nose portions and constituting the source of said destructive fragments and the sole load-bearing structural interconnection between the base and nose portions, said means consisting of a tubular portion intermediate and secured to said baseand nose portions, said tubular por tion being composed of a plurality of frangible rings, each of said rings having a pair of fiat side faces normal to the longitudinal axis of' the warhead, each of said rings being formed with lines of weakness equally spaced therearound, said rings being aligned axially of the warhead with adjacent side faces of the rings disposed in mutual facing relation with each other and with the lines of weakness of one ring disposed midway of the lines of weakness of the adjacent ring, the lines of weakness of alternate rings being respectively aligned longitudinally of the warhead, each pair of adjacent side faces being held in said mutual facing relation by means of a continuous ring of brazing material fused to said pair of side faces, the outer side faces of thefrangible rings at the ends of said tubular portion'being secured by additional continuous rings of brazing material to the base and nose portions respectively, said rings of brazing material being of sufficient strength to hold together integrally the frangible rings and the base and nose portions secured thereto until substantially the full force of the explosion of the charge is obtained, whereby fragmentation is delayed until substantially the full force of the explosion is applied to the frangible rings in a manner to effectuate maximum acceleration of the fragments thereof as the frangible rings are ruptured.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 37,661 Gerardin Feb. 10, 1863 1,325,706 Todisco Dec. 23, 1919 2,393,275 Whitesell Jan. 22, 1946 2,413,008 Taglialatela Dec. 24, 1946 FOREIGN PATENTS 3,204 Great Britain of 1866 

